College Counseling Office

Would you like to receive your College Degree on the same day

 you get your high school diploma?  Save $100,000 and 4 years of time?  Read on:

Introduction

My goal is to go beyond recommendations for which classes should be taken next or what job opportunities the student could expect with a given curriculum.  As much as possible I strive to advise your family on how the student may identify and prepare for their unique role in the Kingdom of God. 

Our general advice to students at King’s Way and parents is based on Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16) and an understanding of the times (Matthew 16:3).   In many, but not all cases you likely have already given your life to Christ and are learning to think like a Christian.   You may already be sensing the Lord’s gifting and leading into one of several general career paths:  trades, technical, professional. 

Using your electives for a concentration in a practical career field at American High School is one way to focus your preparation and tailor your education to your own unique interests.   You can link to the many options at American High School from the King’s Way home page.   

If you earn 8 electives in one area of concentration, your high school diploma will include the words:  “With a Minor In _____________”   This combines the benefits of a Major in classical Christian education with a Minor in a practical field oriented to the marketplace.

What About College?

My general advice for the college-bound is to use that knowledge to impact the culture by taking dominion of your own higher education (Genesis 1:26).  Don’t simply follow the crowd into institutions that build secular corporations and neglect the Lord, His Word, and your family.  You may want to focus instead on building an extended family legacy for future generations.   

Don’t hesitate to ask me if you would like more information about that.  In addition, Pastor Paul Michael Raymond in the Career Counseling Office is more than happy to help with your career planning.  This can range from testing, to counseling, to specific financial vehicles for intergenerational growth (he’s not a salesman).  

As a student in a Christian classical school, you and your parents likely understand the value of a Christian education for K-12.  You’ve chosen to remove yourself from the government school system and obey God’s command regarding Christian education (Proverbs 3:5-6) and liberty in Christ (1 Corinthians 7:21).

When the question of college education arises, however, most Christian families lower their standards.   They send their children (Proverbs 10:4-5) to either a secular college or university or a “Christian” college or university.  These choices are often made because ….

• everyone is doing it, or
• the ends justify the means (pragmatism), or
• they aren’t aware of the extent to which many Christian colleges have accommodated to humanism, or
• because they simply aren’t aware of the many other options available to develop their gifts to serve the Lord and/or earn income. 

For example, they reason, Moses grew up in Egypt or Daniel in Babylon or Paul in the school of the Pharisees or it was good for Cousin Rhonda.  Alternatively, they may have absorbed myths about college such as

• college graduates make more money than those who don’t attend college, or
• you need a college degree to open doors, or
• the US Department of Education approved accreditation ensures educational quality.

In the 1980s, distinguished Christian thinker Francis Schaeffer warned Christians not to compromise on higher education choices with the following quote.

“Evangelicals were right in emphasizing the Lordship of Christ over all areas of culture-art, philosophy, society, government, academia, and so on. But then what happened? Many young evangelicals heard this message, went out into the academic world, and earned their undergraduate and graduate degrees from the finest secular schools.”

But something happened in the process. In the midst of totally humanistic colleges and universities, and a totally humanistic orientation in the academic disciplines, many of these young evangelicals began to be infiltrated by the anti Christian world view which dominated the thinking of their colleges and professors. In the process, any distinctively evangelical point of view was accommodated to the secularistic thinking in their discipline and to the surrounding world spirit of our age.” Francis A. Schaeffer, The Great Evangelical Disaster (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1984), 119.

Many Christian home educating families have discerned the philosophical and spiritual problems with secular (and most Christian) colleges.  As a result, they’ve chosen to help their children start businesses. 

Problem is, they sometimes dismiss the scholarly approach to higher learning and its value. Some and perhaps most King’s Way students would benefit by a scholarly approach to higher learning, with encouragement toward entrepreneurial freedom.   This combination may provide for the greatest impact on the culture and building your own Christian family economic and spiritual dynasty.

The Magic of Dual-Credit:

Barna Research has found that only about 5% of Christians and 50% of pastors have a Biblical worldview.  As a King’s Way student, you are likely learning your way into this small group.  Since “to whom much is given, much is required” (Luke 12:48), King’s Way students should consider college and career choices with a thorough Biblical analysis of content, pedagogy, and expected result. 

Our challenge is to obtain the former (college education) without compromising the latter (Biblical worldview).  Proverbs says there is safety in a multitude of counselors.  Therefore, my input is with the understanding that the Holy Spirit and parents are your primary advisors regarding college decisions (John 14:26, 1 Corinthians 11:3).

With that in mind I’d invite you to consider our plan for earning your college degree simultaneous to the completion of your high school diploma!   In most cases this will save you $100,000, a huge debt load, and 4 years of time.   You’ll also completely side-step the spiritual dangers inherent to the college campus in America today.

As you complete each King’s Way course, I’ll show you how to test for college credit in that body of knowledge and “bank” that credit for your Bachelor’s Degree.  The cost will be about $10,000 spread over a 4-6 year period – maybe as low as $3,000. 

As a high school graduate you’ll embark on their career completely debt free with a college degree.   King’s Way receives no commission of any kind for this service.  We are here to help.

For more details, just ask.

Sincerely in Christ,

D.O. “Oliver” Woods, B.S., M.Ed.

Headmaster at King’s Way